Month: January 2018

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ― Elie Wiesel

Dates for your diary

8/2/2018 Year 12 Parents Evening

15/2/2018 Careers Fair 6 – 8pm

Headteacher blog:

If you child is in Year 9 or 10 you will be aware that we are seeking to build a habit of independent learning with students. Whilst they can access materials to support their learning in many formats, we have been promoting the use of GCSEpod. The podcasts can be used to extend their knowledge or to revisit an topic which they have found challenging in class. We urge them not simply to listen to the podcasts but also ensure they make notes. All parental support is appreciated. Just 20 minutes a day of independent study has the potential to make a huge difference to them long term. It will also enable them to get into good habits with their independent study.

D of E Donation

This afternoon representatives of the Uttoxeter Area DofE Committee and TAHS DofE and were thrilled to be presented with a very generous cheque for £500. This money will go towards vital funds ensuring all local Duke of Edinburgh’s Award candidates are provided with modern, high quality equipment and resources.

The cheque was presented by Worshipful Brother Nigel Lowe on behalf of Forresters 456 Masonic Lodge Uttoxeter. All monies donated were raised by various functions supported by brethren, family and friends of the Lodge, who have given generously to a variety of local charities during Mr Lowe’s year as Master.

So the Year 13 deadline for UCAS has been and gone, we are very proud of every student who as applied to further their education at University. We have a number of students that have applied for Higher Level Apprenticeships; we hope they are as successful in their applications. Earn while you learn is a great way to move forward with education. Post-18 Apprenticeships are supported by universities and offer another pathway to the same goal, achieving knowledge and excellence in a specific area. Unifrog is a great ‘one stop platform’ where they can find out information on Apprenticeships, I recommend that all take a look. If you would like any further information on this platform then please email the Sixth Form Team on sixthform@tahs.org.uk.

All mock exams have now been completed and feedback is being given students on how they can improve on their performance. One of the main issues is still lack of revision, it is so important that they find a way of revising that works for them and they have started a revision plan, which will take them up to their exams. Please encourage them to revise at home and to make use of their non-contact lessons as school. We would encourage all student to speak to their subject teachers and ask about ways to revise and types of revision. In history, students have been pointed towards documentaries that are specific to a topic they have been learning. They have been asked to watch the documentary as part a homework task and to complete research from an area that caught their focus, that research has then been emailed to the subject teacher, collated and the teacher will then pass back all research to the class as a ‘pack of knowledge’. This will then help secure their knowledge on this area. Students have fed back that this has helped them have a deeper understanding of the topic. Finding ways to revise individually or as group can only benefit them, purchasing subject specific revision guides, making flashcards, or producing their own revision guide with quiz questions, which can be used both at home and at school will support their learning further. I would recommend that parents and carers ask to see revision notes to ensure that time is being used effectively at home.

If Year 12 students are planning on attending University Open Days can you ensure that a confirmation email is shown to their form tutor or shown to Mrs Walton so that we can code the register accordingly, it saves us sending unnecessary text messages home. Could we also ask that if your child is absent due to ill health or a pre-arranged medical appointment that the Sixth Form Office is contacted in the morning to make us aware, sixthform@tahs.org.uk.

Year 9 Options

The Year 9 Options process will begin next week on Thursday 1st February. This will begin a series of information events designed to inform parents and students of the subjects available to them at GCSE and A Level and how the options process works.

These events include:

• A Future Intentions assembly is on Thursday 1st February.• Future Intentions week beginning Monday 5th February till Friday 9th January. • Year 9 Future Intentions and Careers Evening is on Thursday 15th February at 6pm in the Sports Hall with option talks in the Theatre starting at 6.15pm and 7pm. This is fantastic event has a range of subjects, universities, colleges and employers to help students make the right decisions regarding their future and is open to all students in TAHS and the Middle Schools.• Year 9 parents evening is on Tuesday 27th February starting at 4pm.

Year 9 students will receive a letter next week detailing these events. We understand that this is a very important set of decisions that you and your child need to make and if you have any queries regarding these events please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Battlefields Tour

Mrs Fisher and two 6th Formers will taking part in the First World War Centenary Battlefield Tours Programme on Friday 2nd February to Monday 5th February. This is the second year that TAHS has taken part in this national programme which is funded by government to commemorate the First World War. They will be travelling with students and teachers from 14 other schools to the battlefields of the Ypres Salient (Belgium) and The Somme (France).

Tim Benton Motivational Speaker

“I want you to live at your best”

Thursday 1st March, 6.00pm at Thomas Alleyne’s

For the fourth consecutive year we are fortunate to have Tim to come talk to year 11 pupils and parents.

Tim has the knack of challenging you to be better than you were before but without you really noticing. Through his disarming manner, his casual and entertaining style and his inarguable logic, he helps all those he works with – young and old – revaluate what they do, why they do it and whether they should be doing something else entirely.

Parents who have been to his talks always head home buzzing with ideas that are not only helpful in dealing with their children but also very relevant to their own careers and personal development.

Come on Thursday 1st March 6.00pm in the Theatre in order to support your child over the next few months in order for them to achieve their full potential.

GCSE+ 6th February – 2nd March.

Straight after their mock results day on Monday 5th February Year 11 pupils will begin GCSE+. This is a programme delivered during form time to provide ‘little and often’ intervention. It targets individual students, in individual subject areas to improve progress. Pupils will be working with specialist subject teachers for 20 minutes each morning over a period of 3 weeks. This little and often approach will provide over 6 hours of revision time. This will be repeated nearer the examination season too.

Dates for Holiday Revision

These are the dates so far for your child to attend revision. There will be more to come .

News from PE

Girls House Football

On Monday the girls House Football competitions were held on the astro. The period 2 competition was hampered by a frozen pitch but some down to excellent work by Abbie Hulbert, Holly Irvine, Jenna Timmis & Makensie Paterson sweeping away the slushy ice the pitches were soon playable.

The Year 9 competition saw Whitmore run out as winners with two wins and a draw, Orme in second, Elkes third & Torrance fourth.

The Year 10 competition was won by Torrance who were unbeaten in their three fixtures, Elkes second, Orme third and Whitmore fourth.

Cheerleading

This week was the first cheerleading session and 28 students attended. They all worked incredibly hard and achieved so much within only 1 hour. Next week we will still be accepting new members in preparation for a competition in March. Well done to everyone that came, I’m excited to see what you can all achieve.

COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS UNDER 16 GIRLS BADMINTON

Congratulations to Scarlett Simister, Alice Radley, Sophie Lomas and Emily Barton in becoming runners up in the county championships held at Clayton Sports Centre.

The girls were part of a ten team county tournament and narrowly lost 3 rubbers to 2 to Clayton High School. In the groups stages both single players and doubles teams were very difficult to beat. The team beat 5 school 4 – 1 and the final school in their group 5 – 0. such a dominant performance put the girls in the semi final against Biddulph High school. once again they played some excellent badminton and dominated Biddulph 5- 0. This set up an exciting final against Clayton. Scarlett lost her singles game in a hard fought battle, to a player 2 years her senior 21 -11, in the next game Sophie and Alice got Alleyne’s back on winning ways with a 21 – 11 win. Alice unfortunately lot in the singles match. The next match would be a very tense affair with Clayton needing to win to become Champions. Scarlett and Emily came back from 10 -1 down to tie at 17 all. Unfortunately Clayton were too strong in the final stages and won 21 -17, winning the championship outright. Not to be out done Alic and Sophie finished the day off on a positive by winning the last rubber 21 -6. Well done girls a great days work.

Girls Rugby

Thursday saw TAHS girls rugby team take on John Taylor in their annual fixture ran by Burton RFC. All of our girls got stuck in and we were 1 try down at half time. Through their grit and determination our girls pulled the game back and won by a try. It was a fantastic game and some of the girls then stayed for an inner warrior session to encourage participation in club rugby. Well done to all involved.

Science Students of the Week

This week’s Science Students of the Week selected by Mr Melland are:

Year 9Jess Smith and Summer Hibberd

Year 10Mason White and Katelyn Pool

Year 11Emily Oliver and Matthew OckletonAll students were selected for their excellent contribution in class.

This week’s BTEC Animal Care Students of the Week selected by Mr Gilson are: Kieran Wild for conscientious work and Morgan Perry for strong determination and motivation.

This week’s Environmental Land Based Science Students of the Week also selected by Mr Gilson are: Jemma Thornett for consistently good scores in assessments and India Edwards for dedication and perseverance.

Well Done!

School Council

Another successful meeting was run by the student council this week. The students invited Mrs Lister, the canteen manager, to answer questions on the sources of food in school, the costs, vegetarian and vegan options and queueing for food. Mr Brunt was also given a grilling about the year 9 options process and the students came up with some ideas for improving this process. The amount of litter around school was a big issue and the school council are going to lead an assembly to encourage other students to dispose of their litter in the right way.

If you would like to get involved with the student council please see your tutor and discuss with your form rep any issues that you would like the council to look at.

Year 11 ICT & Computing Support

It is essential that all ICT & Computing students are using the extra time available to them after-school. This weeks sessions are:

Wednesday Computer Science NEA Programming support

Thursday ICT Coursework Catch-up om unit 2 or 3

ICT students keep your eyes peeled for a half term session! Computer Science will be at Easter.

Art GCSE Exam Preparations

Year 11 students are getting well on the way to preparing for their project in response to ONE of the themes given by the exam board this year. It’s great to see some of our students making a strong start with moodboards full of inspiration images, concertina research sheets and considering how to respond through drawings/photographs etc.

Links

Assemblies will be on the theme of ‘Freedom of Speech’ and led by Mrs Lindsay

Thought for the week

I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.

Evelyn Beatrice Hall

Dates for your diary

8/2/2018 Year 12 Parents Evening

Headteacher blog:

What a week of sport!

Our U14 Futsal team reached the final of East Staffs/South Derby Futsal competition; our U14 boys basketball team competed in the semi-final county cup; and the U14 Boys Cross Country team competed in District cross county.

Champions!

Congratulations to the U14 Girls and U16 Girls teams who became District Cross Country champions. Finally, congratulations to Year 11 student Josie Nelson, who was the overall winner of the U16 East Staffs Cross Country Championship. Thank you to the PE team, to all parents for your support and to our young people for making us so proud. You are an inspiration to us all. Please see more details in the Sports report.

Teaching School

This week we held a parent information session on teaching schools. Thank you to the parents who attended, the questions asked were pertinent and helpful . If you were unable to attend and would like further information please let us know.

You will see later in the newsletter, an update from our PTA . The PTA, like our governing body, are a group of volunteers who work tirelessly to support our school. Whilst the governors role and the role of PTA may be very different they have one thing in common, which is the way in which they offer their time and expertise to the school. Thank you from Thomas Alleyne’s staff and students to all governors and PTA members.

PTA

Following on from our Christmas Hamper Raffle before Christmas we have now allocated monies raised to those departments who submitted bids for help. We are delighted to have helped our students in so many different ways and look forward to helping them again in the future.

We will be purchasing 4 new radios for the Pastoral team. These radios are vital to the team when supporting our students around school.

A level English Literature students will be able to access a Webinar session in preparation for their summer exams. This will then be available for future students to access within lessons too.

The History department will benefit from a complete set of ‘Ready to go’ text books for A level coursework research.We are helping the Maths department build up sets of Scientific Calculators for use by our GCSE students as part of the new specification.

The farm as you will be aware have been very successful recently at Agriculture shows and students will now have smart white coats with the school logo on them so everyone will know who the winners are! We are also funding halters for the sheep and pig boards which are essential in handling animals safely and an integral part of their animal care courses.

Science get to benefit from a Boyle’s Law Demonstration Apparatus to replace the one purchased in the 1970’s and new light gates for measuring the speed of objects passing through them, welcome pieces of equipment for the practical sessions.

And finally, but no means least Geography will receive fieldwork equipment including a pH meter, tape measure, soil thermometer and a multimeter.

As always, all of this is only made possible by your donations, ticket buying and assistance at school events and the PTA along with all of the students are very grateful for your continued support of our school.

UCAS Deadline for the 2018 cycle passed on Monday 15th January at 6.00 pm .

Some Statistics…

· 97 full University Applications have been sent off by the Sixth Form Team since September of which;

· 92 are current Year 13 students have applied to University – 75% of the cohort.

· 50/92 students have at least one choice from a Russell group University (some have all five choices) – 54% of the cohort.

TAHS in the News

Date for the Diary Thursday 1st March 6.00pm

We are delighted to confirm that Tim Benton, motivational speaker and mentor has agreed to come and work with year eleven pupils and parents. More details to follow.

Cinebowl Engagement Trip

Thirty-two students from all four houses were enjoyed a trip to cinebowl as a reward for their positive start at Thomas Alleyne’s. Students were selected on attendance, credit totals, effort levels in reports.

News from PE

East Staffordshire Cross Country

The short journey to Oldields was made for the cross -country championships. A brisk walk to the venue served as a warm up. The year 9 girls raced first with Olivia Gregory & Ella Barber finishing in the top 10 and the team finishing 3rd overall. In the senior girls competition Josie Nelson finished first and due to taking a large number of competitors TAHS won the team competition and many of the girls finished in the top 10. The boys races saw the senior boys finish 2nd with Owen Carrington and Alex Shaw selected for the county race. Year 9 boys team finished 4th overall with Will Jakes finishing in 8th and gaining County selection.

Free Futsal Equipment

We would use the equipment to develop Futsal throughout Thomas Alleyne’s and the Uttoxeter Pyramid. We would be able to host Futsal competitions from KS1- KS5 and would be able to use Futsal to develop leadership. Our plan would be to use Futsal in the curriculum and as an intra school competition. We have a growing number of girls wanting to play football but are put off by the cold weather at this time of year, Futsal would be a solution to this to increase participation.

U14 Basketball County Semi Final

On Tuesday the U14 basketball team finally played their first game after a number of teams cancelling on us.The boys played some good basketball against their much more experienced opposition. Although the scoreline went away from us 19-25 the team learnt a lot and should be proud of their efforts.Man of the match – Jed Brunt.

On Thursday we entered 2 teams into the East Staffs Futsal tournament. Our B team began playing some good football and won their first 2 games with good play from all the team. Their 3rd game saw a defeat by John Port to end the teams chances.

Thomas Alleynes A team qualified for the county finals by reaching the East Staffs Futsal final on Thursday. We had a beneficial draw playing Oldfields, Windsor Park, and Robert Sutton. Jed Brunt was on fire scoring 7 goals in 4 games.

The final saw us play home team John Port, we took an early lead but as the game went on John Port took control and finished winning 3-1.

Student Council

The next meeting will take place during period 2 on Thursday 25th January in room 65. Look forward to seeing form reps there!

Origami Club

Origami club is starting on Tuesday lunchtime in room 104. This is open to both staff and students. Please bring your lunch with you.

The first session will be making a butterfly!

Year 13 Art & Photography Mock Exams in Full Swing

Students studying Art, Craft & Design or Photography in year 13 have been preparing for their 15 hour controlled conditions exam in May, with a trail (mock exam) over this week and next week.

Students have worked in exam conditions over 3 full days. -see the images below for some of the exciting work in progress from our dedicated students.

Art & Photography Year 13 coursework will be submitted and the end of the month and their Exam units start from February onward. For students to be successful in this subject, it is important all the assessment objectives are met in sufficient depth.

Effective use of your time is essential, remember art staff and spaces to work in the art department are always available during your non-contact times as well as after school Art Club on Wed, Thurs and Fri until 5pm.

Year 11 Art GCSE Exam Preparation

All students should now have their art exam papers (released from the exam board from January) and will be choosing one of the themes to respond to. To help students, we have lesson time plans, resources as well reminder notes from the parents/student meeting on 9th January which is shared via INSIGHT.

We do understand students have other subjects mock exams at the moment, but please feel free to talk to your art teacher for just 5 mins at lunch or after school at Art Club if you have missed lessons so that they are clear you have a great idea to get started on. It’s great to see lots of students getting a start with their mood-boards and research concertinas after discussing ideas with staff- There has been such exciting ideas

Links

Thought for the Week

There are no assemblies for the next week due to Year 11 Mock Exams

Many Orthodox Christians who celebrate Christmas Day on 7th January will also be celebrating New Year’s Day on Sunday January 14th. This is because they follow the more traditional Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar. This got me thinking on the theme of time and I came across this quote, which perhaps applies to whichever calendar we use:

Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One person gets only a week’s value out of a year while another person gets a full year’s value out of a week.

Charles Richards

Dates for your diary

17/1/2018 Parent Consultation re Teaching School Status

PTA meeting: Wednesday 17th January at 7pm in the school staffroom. All are most welcome to attend.

8/2/2018 Year 12 Parents Evening

Headteacher blog:

There is so much in our newsletter this week from developments on our farm, to girls on Maths courses, numerous sporting events and art events thank you to all contributors.

This week Ofsted has shared with us their ‘Inspection Data Summary Report’ for Thomas Alleyne’s High School for 2017.

It is full of very postiive news for departments and for the school overall.

According to Ofsted, in GCSEs last year the Science department were placed in the top 24% of schools nationally for the progress students made from Key Stage 2 to 4.

Impressively, the Maths department were placed in the top 17% of schools nationally. As you will read later in the newsletter, they took a small group of girls to a ‘Girls in Maths’ course today which everyone enjoyed.

Thank you for your support. We know that as students prepare for their examinations, the support they have at home is invaluable to help them form good habits.

We were thrilled to see so many parents at the Art revision evening for Year 11 this week, many thanks for giving up your time.

Last year, we ran a revision evening hosted by Tim Benton which we will run again before Easter for all parents. Each year, parents let us know how valuable they find the evening.

We thought you may appreciate seeing some of the literature he recommends before the event and have copied the links below for you.

Many of you will be aware that 2 years ago Mike Osborne-Town took on the role of building our Multi-Academy Trust as our CEO. As a result of his tireless work, within in just 2 years, we are now one of the 7 founder schools of the Uttoxeter Learning Trust Multi-Academy Trust. Our trust is passionate about ensuring high quality education and smooth transition for students from the age of 3 – 18. We would like to thank Mike for all of his work for our school and also for the Learning Trust.

Please see Mike Osborne-Town’s letter below.

I will be stepping down as CEO of the Uttoxeter Learning Trust with effect from 1st May 2018. I will then have completed the two years I originally agreed to. The ULT is now firmly established, has a clear vision and improvement plan and , T think, will go from strength to strength. The ULT Trustees will be advertising for my replacement in the near future.

It’s been a wonderfully fulfilling, although consuming, two years working with you all and I think, together, we’ve developed something very special. I am hoping that I will be able to continue supporting the MAT, although in a voluntary capacity, in the future.

Teaching School status update:

We submitted our bid to become a Teaching School before Christmas and are now awaiting to find out if we have been succesful. If you would like to know more about Teaching School Status please attend our information evening next Wednesday at 6.00pm.

All Year 13 students are in the middle of their mock exams and it is inspiring to see so many of them working independently or as small groups revising and working through past papers. If your child is in need of any need of support, whether it is skills or knowledge, please direct them to their subject teacher to ask for advice. Preparation is needed in the run up to the exam and the good habits that are being formed now should continue it to the upcoming months.

We don’t recommend that revision stops, we hope that all Year 13 students will continue to revise, act upon feedback given by teaching staff and strive to surpass the grades that are achieved in these mocks. The phrase ‘super-curricular’ will not be new to our students within the Sixth Form. It could be reading an article that has been published with a ground-breaking discovery, it could be a new historical view point that could be useful or listening to a podcast by a scientist. All ways in which a student can improve their knowledge is encouraged and can only compliment their revision.

The national UCAS deadline is 15th January at 6pm; there are still a few students who are last minute applicants who must ensure that all aspects of their application are completed before they come to school on Monday. This will give their assigned member of the Sixth Form Team the opportunity to check through it, and if needed send it back to be altered.

Mock Examinations January 2018

This week was the first full week of mock examinations, and also the first external examinations for some.

Well done to our students for your excellent attitudes towards these first exams. It is great to see so many of you showing commitment towards revision and a determination to keep this going. Thank you to parents and carers for all you are doing at home to support your son or daughter.

For many of our students, this will be the first taste of what is to come in the summer. You may have felt a mixture of emotions after a examination. Well done for working as hard as you can with revision and please remember that we can help you keep this going with support and motivation. Do see one of your teachers if you need help getting started.

Wishing you every success for next week.

Be prepared, be very prepared GCSE + is coming.

News from PE

House MatchesThe next round of house matches are coming up. List of dates and captains are attached.

Monday 15/1/18- is East Staffordshire Cross Country- See attached team list.Tuesday 16/1/18- U14 Basketball county cup H v St John Fisher- See attached team listThursday 18/1/18- U14 Boys Futsal at John Port- See attached team list

Thursday- Trampolining Club

Trampolining Club has now started. It is running on Thursdays after school until 4.15. It is suitable for all abilities and may lead towards competitions held later this year. Normal PE kit is to be worn but black sports leggings may also be worn. Any questions please speak to Mrs Fletcher.

Burton and District Table Tennis

On Thursday, 12 players attended the Burton and District tournament held at Robert Sutton. A number of schools from across the area competed in a sixteen table competition. The standard was very high with a large number of county players in attendance.. The players played in a league structure with the top two moving into the next round. Congratulations to Alfie Bednal who was the only Alleyne’s player to get into the quarter finals. Unfortunately he lost in a close fought game, to Robert Sutton. Well done to all those who attended.

Science Students of the Week

Year 9Harriet Bebbington and Haydn Fisher for performing well in the B1 end of module test.

Year 10Gregor Hayes and Lottie Cooper for contributions during chemistry lessons.

Year 11Lorna Hill and Emily Barton for hard work and commitment in chemistry lessons.

This week’s Environmental Land Based Science Students of the Week selected by Mrs North are:Ellie Cope and Beatrice Egerton for working hard to complete their course work.

This week’s Animal Care Students of the Week also selected by Mrs North are:Alicia Lyon and Lucy Greatrex for all their help with the new calves.

Well done!

Teaching School Information Evening

17/1/18 6.00pm -7.00pm

Thomas Alleyne’s High School has applied to become a Teaching School. A Teaching School works with others to provide high-quality training and development to new and experienced school staff. Teaching Schools are part of the government’s plan to give schools a central role in raising standards by developing a self-improving and sustainable school-led system.

We would like to offer parents and carers the chance to hear about our plans and the opportunities that Teaching School status will bring, should we be successful in our application. Therefore, we are holding a Teaching School Information Evening taking place from 6.00 pm to 7.00 pm on 17/1/18. We would be pleased if you could join us.

Student Council

The next meeting will take place during period 2 on Thursday 25th January in room 65. Look forward to seeing form reps there!

Girls in Maths

On Wednesday this week myself and Mrs Ingram were fortunate enough to be able to take 15 year 9 and 10 girls to Keele university for a “Girls in Maths” event. It was run by the further maths support programme to encourage girls to continue with their education in maths, science and engineering subjects. We watched the film “Hidden Figures” about three African American women in the 1960s and their roles in the space programme. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

There were some guest speakers, ladies that were successful in engineering careers and they spoke about their journey and how maths had played a role in their careers.We also had a design project, to build a structure to hold a tennis ball off the table. We were all successful and fortunate that the rules weren’t too specific!

On a personal note it was a pleasure to take the girls out, as always they were incredibly well behaved and a credit to the school. Many thanks girls for a lovely day. Mrs Payne

ART YEAR 11 GCSE EXAM PAPERS RELEASED!

On Tuesday 9th January we welcomed a packed room full of Year 11 students and their parents/guardians to a presentation aimed at supporting the start of their GCSE Art Exam unit.

Exam papers were given out in brown envelopes and the students will be choosing ONE of the themes to work on over the following four months before the 10 hours controlled conditions exam is held in early May- just 16 weeks (including holidays) or 32 lessons away!

We looked at good examples from previous years, and looked at common pitfalls to avoid. Mrs Derby and Mr Robinson emphasised the support available and will help advice students as they complete their work.

We were very much impressed by the level of interest in this meeting and that our art students make a good start to their exam unit worth 40% of the overall grade. The majority of the exam marks; 75% from the Assessment Objectives relating to A01) research and development A02) experimentation A03) recording eg. drawing and photography, are from the ‘preparation’ work BEFORE the remaining 25% is gained from A04) ‘realising intentions’ from 10hours in May.

Any questions please contact the art department via the school office.

ART GCSE EXAM DATES

All the preparation work completed during January, February, March and April will be submitted on the first day of your Art 10hours controlled conditions exam.

YEAR 13 ART & PHOTOGRAPHY TRIAL EXAMS

Year 13 Art students will be starting their 15hour trial exams over 3 days between next Monday 15th January and Thursday 26th January.

Due to the number of clashes with other exams or university interviews, students should please check with their art teachers as to which day they are undertaking their exams.

Farm News

As part of Waitrose ‘Community Matters’ scheme, Uttoxeter Community Farm at Thomas Alleynes High School were presented with a cheque for £600. We would like to thank all those shoppers who supported us by choosing our project for their green tokens. Since September we have started offering a new course on the farm and students are now able to choose to study for a BTEC level 2 award in Animal Care as one of their option subjects. This qualification provides hands on experience of a wide range of livestock and companion animals for students who wish to pursue careers in veterinary medicine, animal care and farming as well as those who just love animals and want to learn more about caring for them.

We are currently in the process of redeveloping the site and have been working closely with Carillion Tarmac partnership and other local businesses to build new pens and improve existing ones. The money from Waitrose will be used to repair fencing around one of our outside poultry areas as well as replace our old wooden hen houses with more suitable plastic ones. We can then increase our flock of laying hens and improve our profits from egg sales. We are always keen to expand the range of animals on the farm and have recently added two corn snakes and a tarantula to our collection which includes geckos, bearded dragons, turtles, hens, ducks, geese, sheep, pigs, cows, guinea pigs and rabbits. Uttoxeter Community Farm continues to go from strength to strength thanks to the hard work, support and enthusiasm of the students and local community.

IMVU

Please be aware of this app

It’s a social media app that is currently circulating amongst children and young people.

It is called ‘IMVU’ and allows you to create an avatar and speak to strangers. It also pinpoints your location.

Careers

Don’t forget to check out the new careers page on tahsroundup.wordpress.com

Links

Thought for the Week

There are no assemblies for the next two weeks due to Year 11 Mock Exams

Thoughts for the Week (on the theme of new Year: we hope that one inspires you a little

“You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.” —Mary Pickford“The beginning is always today.” —Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley“Every moment is a fresh beginning.” —T.S. Eliot“The beginning is the most important part of the work.” —Plato“It’s a wise man who understands that every day is a new beginning, because boy, how many mistakes do you make in a day? I don’t know about you, but I make plenty. You can’t turn the clock back, so you have to look ahead.” —Mel Gibson

Dates for your diary

17/1/2018 Parent Consultation re Teaching School Status

PTA meeting: Wednesday 17th January at 7pm in the school staffroom. All are most welcome to attend.

Headteacher blog:

Happy New Year.

It has been fantastic to see students back in school. We have now completed two days of mock examinations for Year 11. Many students have been working incredibly hard in the lead up to these examinations, with over 11,500 podcasts from GCSEpod streamed outside school hours. Eight students have streamed over 200 podcasts. If you son or daughter needs support in accessing the resources please ask them to speak to their Head of House. It is essential they use the last few days they have to revise.

It is always better not to leave it to the last minute and we are impressed by the Year 9 and 10 students who are already accessing the resources. Even having only been with us one term, one year 9 student has streamed 400 pods which equates to 30 hours of revision.

On the 3rd January, all staff of Thomas Alleyne’s attended the Light up Uttoxeter Conference at Uttoxeter Racecourse. The conference is focused on our aim to offer the highest quality of education to our young people. Staff were offered a choice of over 40 workshops during the day to support them in their work.

We wanted to use this opportunity to thank those staff who delivered workshops for others during the day and to the staff at Uttoxeter Racecourse who could not have been more helpful in ensuring the day ran smoothly. Finally we would like to thank our sixth formers who opened the conference and provided help for delegates.

I will be holding a question and answer session on our application for teaching school status on the 17th January at 6.00pm for any interested parents or students.

There are many opportunities offered by our PE department in the newsletter this week. However they are managing a difficult situation at the moment as we are not able to open our swimming pool. We are are working hard to find a solution, however you will understand the costs associated with repairs to the pool are extremely high.

Uniform

Please support us with ensuring all students return to school with the correct school uniform.

Outdoor coats & hoodies should not be worn around the building.

Many thanks

This week has been a short teaching week but I am still so impressed by the commitment of our 6th Formers. On Wednesday we had our annual Light Up Uttoxeter Conference which was held at Uttoxeter Racecourse. As always our 6th Formers shone. Our Head Girl and Head Boy, Iona and Ryan opened the Conference alongside Tom. All three were well spoken, confident and were complimented by many. All of the 6th Formers that were in attendance were also working hard when they were supporting staff. At break and lunchtime many staff from other schools approached us and stated that they were shocked to see all of them has brought revision materials to the conference and were revising. We were not shocked as we know this group of students very well and this is typical behaviour from them. All the hard work they put in now will pay off and allow them to access the next stage of their journey, whether it is employment, apprenticeships or university. So far 73 of our Year 13 students have applied to university with all them being able to boast that they have received at least one offer.

On Thursday evening, the Sixth Form common room was transformed into a celebration function room. Every year we invite last year’s Year 13 back to celebrate their journey through TAHS and the next steps that they have taken. The amount of students that turned up to the event was overwhelming. At least 50 students returned to hear Mrs Dodd talk fondly of their time within the 6th Forms, awards were presented and certificates given out. The staff in attendance were happy to see their past students at to discuss their experiences of employment, apprenticeships and university. Mrs Walton ensured that photos were taken so that we could share the event to all those who read round up.

15th January is the closing date for UCAS applications so if you are aware that your son or daughter is still yet to complete it then please urge them to complete it over the weekend.

The closing date for applications to attend the Sixth Form is Friday 5th January.

Children’s Play, Learning and Development

Year 10 and year 11 students studying Children’s Play, Learning and Development:

On Wednesday 10th January please go to the canteen at 12.20 (period 4) for lunch.

You can bring your own lunch or cold snacks/ sandwiches will be available to buy (hot food will not be served).

Please stay in the canteen until 12.50 when you line up for your exam which starts at 1 O’ clock.

Good Luck!

Catering Price Increases

Chartwells, the school’s catering provider, have informed us that they have reviewed their existing price structure and are planning to change the price tariff from 1st February 2018. Further information will be sent to parents as we receive details.

Ski Trip Easter 2018

A place has become available on the ski trip departing at Easter this year. If this is of interest please contact Mr Cartwright as a matter of urgency.

Extra Curricular PE –

Table Tennis- Thursday 11th Jan 4pm Robert Sutton, East Staffordshire Tournament This is part of GCSE assessment.

Due to the mock exams and the pool currently being unavailable there are some changes to the PE lessons for this half term. Please check this document below to ensure you bring the correct kit for your lessons….

Art Exam Parents Evening

January 9th 6:30pm-7:15pm Venue change: Now in CanteenArt staff will be presenting advice and tips for the exam element of the GCSE worth 40% of the students Art GCSE grade. The Exam papers will be released on this date.

Preparation for the exam starts immediately during the January Mock Exam period and students will be able to attend art club at lunch or after school til 5pm most days as per usual, (please check supervision is available)

Careers

Don’t forget to check out the new careers page on tahsroundup.wordpress.com